Needle and guard therefor.



A. L. POWELL.

NEEDLE AND GUARD THEREFOR APPLICATION HLED NOV. 25, 1914.

By W

ORA/5Y8 THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0 WASHINGTON, D, c.

Patented Mar. 7,1916.

ATHOD LINNWOOD POWELL, OF AL-AMO', TENNESSEE.

NEEDLE AND GUARD THEREFOR.

V Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 191 i Application filed November 25, 1914. Serial No.873,882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VAXTHOL LINNWOOI) PownLL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Alamo, in the county of Crockett and State ofTennessee, have invented a new and Improved Needle and Guard Therefor,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates tograin harvesters and binders, such as shown anddescribed in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,023,035,granted to me on April 9, 1912. r

The object of the present inventionis to provide a new and improvedneedle guard therefor, arranged to permit of using a needle without acrank arm and thus allow of swinging the needle downward without dangerof striking the ground,'theneedle guard serving the needle and toprevent it from passing in behind the needle and clogging the movementthereof.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a knotter wheel, a needlecooperating therewith and a guard for the said needle and moving withthe same during a part of its motion to and from the said knotter wheel.i i

A practical embodiment of is represented in the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification, in which similar characters ofreference iiid1- cate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the needle and its guard asapplied to a grain harvester and binder of the type above referred to;Fig. 2 is a plan view of the needle and its guard; Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the needle; and Fig. 4c is a like view of the guard.

The grain cut by the cutter bar and acted on by the usual reel dropsonto a platform A in the form of a slotted endless belt which deliversthe cut grain to the binder table B below which is arranged anoscillating shaft G carrying a needle D made hollow for the passage ofthe twine E, as indicated in the drawings. The needle D serves to carrythe twine E operate in the usual manner in conjunction with a knotterwheel F to tie the twine around the sheaf. The needle D consists of ashank D secured to the hollow shaft G and a segmental arm D terminatingin an eye D for the passage of the twine E, so

and g to cut off the loose grain from needle D is on the the invention"around the sheaf and to that the latter extends to the knotter wheel F,as indicated in Fig. 1. Normally the point of the needle D is below theupper surface of the binder table B, as indicated in Fig 1, and when thegrain harvester and binder is in operation then an upward swingingmotion is given to the needle to cause the latter to cooperate with theknotter wheel F to tie the twine around the sheaf, and when this hasbeen done the needle returns to its lowermostdormant position, as shownin Fig. 1. r

' The needle D when in lowermost position is shifted within a guard Gr,open at the top and of the same shape as the needle. The guard G'isprovided with a hub G mounted to turn loosely on the shaft C, and thesaid hub is pressed on'by the ends ofcoil springs H secured at theirouter ends to the shaft C By the arrangement described, the guard G isspring-pressed and overlies the needle D when'the latter swings upwarduntil the point G of the guard Gr strikes a stop I formingpartof theframe so that the guard G is held against further movement during thetime the needle D completes its upward stroke to the knotter wheel F.When the return or downward stroke it reenters the guard G and carriesthe same along in a downward direction against the tension of thesprings H.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described theneedle D is shifted while in lowermost dormant position' and during aportion of its upstroke and a portion of its downstroke so that theloose grain is cut ofl from the needle and is prevented from passing inbehind the needle and choking the same.

It is understood that the stop I is located a distance above the bindertable B and hence the grain cannot pass under the needle while thelatter is in raised position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.During the time the needle is in the raised position the oncoming grainaccumulates on the upper arm of the guard G now in raised position, andwhen the needle swings downward and carries the guard along then theaccumulated grain can pass over the binder table B for forming the nextsheaf in the manner above described.

Directly above the binder table B operate the usual packing armsindicated in Fig. 1 to pack the grain against the trip arm untilsufficient grain has accumulated to form a V binder table,

sheaf'and then the sheaf is encircled by the tried by the hollow shaft,the needle being made hollow for vthe passage of the twine, a guard openat the top and adapted to sheath the needle during a portion of itsmotion to and from the knotter wheel, the guard having hub portionsprojecting from the opposite sides and mounted to turn loosely on thecured at their .outer ends to the shaft and pressing at their inner endson the said hub portions, and a stop arranged between the binder tableand the knotter wheel and forming part of the frame of the machine, the

guard against further upward movement as the needle completes its stroketothe knotter wheel, the said needle on its return movement reenteringthe guard and carrying the same in a downward direction against thetension of the springs.

2. In a grain harvester'and binder, a binder table, a knotter wheelarranged above the binder table, an oscillating hollow shaft arrangedbelow the binder table, a needle c0- operating with the knotter wheeland carjecting turn loosely on the hollow shaft, the said needle beingadapted to hollow shaft, coil springs sea guard engaging the stop riedby said shaft, the said needle being made hollow for the passage of thetwine, the needle having a shank and a segmental arm,-a guard for saidneedle open at the top and corresponding in shape to the needle, theguard having hub portions profrom opposite sides'and mounted to fitbetween the side members of the guard, when the guard and needle are inthe lowermost .position, the free ends of said needle and guard beingnormally below the upper surface of the binder table, a spring securedto the shaft and pressing the said guard to incasethe needle and tocause the same to follow the needle during a portion of its upwardstroke, and a stop arranged between the binder table and the .knotterWheel and forming part of the frame of the machine, the free end of saidguard engaging the stop to hold the guard against further upwardmovement, as the needle completes its upward stroke to the knotterwheel, the said needle on its return movement re'e'ntering the same in adownagamst the tension of the guard and carrying the ward directionspring; a

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specificationin thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ATHOL LIN N XVOOD POWELL.

Witnesses:

DAVID H. POWELL, CLAUDE F. POWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing" the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

